Just like the previous times, Stef had more than ten weeks of close contact with the entrepreneurs of the company he supervised. “One of the special things about this edition was the location on the campus of the WUR, the beating heart of food innovation,” he reflects. “We also organized an event specifically about funding with our partners for the first time, in addition to the basic program. Many parties that invest in the food transition – with loans, subsidies, or other forms of venture capital – were there to join forces with entrepreneurs. Especially for starting entrepreneurs, such a network is very important with a view to external financing.”
Same life stage and issue
The company that Stef took under his wing this edition (see box) was in the same boat as the companies he guided in previous years, in terms of life phase and strategic issue. “I helped them validate the customer problem, the solution for it and how to link that to the first customers. The point is that many starting entrepreneurs think primarily from their innovation. Then you quickly see that they often do not really develop a solution for a problem, but rather look for a problem in their solution.”
Interviewing target groups
When asked about his approach, Stef says that he had the entrepreneurs conduct interviews with the target group they had in mind for their innovation. Some discovered that this target group is not their future customers at all. “For example, one agrifood entrepreneur had decided to focus entirely on vegans, but discovered that there are actually very few 100% vegans in the Netherlands. Moreover, the market for that is quite crowded. Sustainability often does not appear to be the most important motivator for consumers to choose a meat alternative, but rather taste. The marketing of the product therefore had to be overhauled.”
Priorities by stage of life
The basis for the BIPF-program is the so-called life-phase model, which assumes that startups transform into a fully-fledged company in four life phases. Stef: “Roughly speaking, we help companies determine what they should and should not spend their scarce time and money on in order to grow in a consistent way, appropriate to their life phase. For example, sales is not yet a priority in the first life phase – that comes later. The 'teaching material' is divided into ten modules and covers issues such as making an impact and collaborating (also known as alliance management) with partners. Participants also develop their own roadmap with objectives and actions that they each present on the last day of the program. They take this roadmap with them as a basis for the further growth of their company.”
Stef looks back on his role as a supervisor during the program with a visible smile, not for the first time. “It was already the third time that I did this, but it remains special to sit so close to entrepreneurs for a few months and to be so practically involved with them. I think it is one of the best parts of my job. I am already looking forward to the next edition.”
“Stef's coaching was very helpful”
As part of the seventh BIPF programme, Stef Mellema guided Merqato, a platform that provides fruit and vegetable cooperatives with insight into their members’ deliveries and customer demand based on data. “His tips and advice were very useful to us,” co-founder Jan-Willem Snoeker reflects. “For example, we considered an advisory board for our company, but after talking to Stef we concluded that we were not ready for that yet in terms of our life cycle. We now benefit more from a number of specialists who regularly give us feedback. Stef also linked us to a large network of relevant organisations. It was great to have him as an external sparring partner and we benefited greatly from his coaching.”
BIPF: smart entrepreneurship in the food industry
It Business Innovation Program Food (BIPF) is a platform that supports startups and SMEs that want to contribute to the food transition with their product or service. Each program lasts about ten weeks and consists of ten modules, intended to gain insight into the product and target group as a basis for a healthy business case. Participants in the programs come from, among others, agriculture and horticulture, the food processing industry, data and technology and (logistics) services.
The BIPF is an initiative of the regional development companies that are united in ROM Nederland. Partners within this program are the development companies (LIOF, NOM, Innovation Quarter, Horizon, Oost NL, ROM Utrecht Region, Impuls Zeeland, ROM InWest and BOM) in collaboration with Invest-NL, the Foundation Together Against Food Waste, Rabobank and Foodvalley NL.
BIPF programme edition 8: register now
Are you also interested in the BIPF program, but would you like to hear more about it first? On January 31 at 10:00 an online webinar will start with which you can check whether the program really suits your company. The eighth edition of the program will then start in mid-March and will run until approximately mid-June. Registration for the introductory workshop is possible here. Participation is free.
